This invention relates generally to drawer guides for cabinets and other types of furniture and, more specifically, to a system for attaching a drawer guide assembly to a cabinet or other piece of furniture without the use of wood screws.
Mass produced furniture, including cabinets, has become commonplace. While a segment of the furniture business still caters to niche customers willing to pay for hand-crafted furniture, the majority of consumers now purchase low-cost furniture, manufactured in large quantities, and often sold through large outlets and home improvement stores.
Much of the mass produced furniture sold currently is manufactured from particle board or multi-density fiber (MDF). Particle board is comprised of wood chips mixed with glue-like binders and pressed into desired shapes to form a composite board. MDF is comprised of fine sawdust mixed with binders and extruded into composite boards. Both particle board and MDF can be laminated with various layers or with washable, scratch-proof exterior surfaces. These exterior surfaces give any furniture constructed therefrom the exterior appearance of fine wood or laminate, even though composite MDF or particle board is disposed underneath.
A problem arises when common wood screws are used to fasten furniture hardware, such as drawer guides and hinges, to MDF or particle board. It has been found that screws often work loose from thinner widths of composite materials and fail to hold the hardware in place. For this reason, {fraction (3/4 )} inch MDF or particle board is typically used in the manufacture of furniture of this type so that longer wood screws can be used which will remain in place over the life of the furniture product. However, this limitation means that thinner widths of composite materials cannot be used. The cost savings advantages of using thinner materials to manufacture furniture are obvious, but the use of less material in furniture manufacture also results in savings to the environment in terms of the amount of wood products used. Therefore, a need exists for furniture hardware applications which allow less material to be used in the manufacture of the article of furniture.
A number of arrangements have been devised for attaching hardware to cabinets, some of which employ a metal fastener disposed in a recess of a cabinet wall and threadedly engaged with a bolt to attach the hardware to the cabinet.
The following patents and materials are believed to be representative of the current state of the prior art in this field: U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,200, issued Nov. 26, 1991, U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,539, issued Nov. 3, 1987, U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,287, issued Apr. 30, 1996, U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,290,issued Jan. 24, 1989, U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,141, issued Aug. 15, 1989, U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,616, issued Jul. 12, 1994, U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,297, issued Dec. 27, 1994, U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,165, issued Apr. 28, 1992, U.S. Pat. No. Re. 36,213, issued Jun. 1, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. Re. 30,717, issued Aug. 25, 1981, U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,077, issued Oct. 1, 1991, U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,072, issued Oct. 7, 1986, U.S. Pat. No. 4,517,706, issued May 21, 1985, U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,877, issued Oct. 13, 1987, U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,493, issued Feb. 28, 1995, U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,296, issued Nov. 26, 1996, U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,532, issued Apr. 14, 1992, U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,766, issued Nov. 10, 1987, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,006, issued Dec. 11, 1990. A frameless cabinet door hinge is disclosed in German Offenlegungsschrift DE 4405349A1. Other hinges of some degree of relevance are shown on page 49 of the 1998 Charles McMurray Catalog.
The above-identified prior art does not describe or suggest the combination of structural elements and interrelationships therebetween disclosed and claimed herein.
The present invention relates to a system wherein a drawer guide assembly is fastened to a piece of furniture without employing wood screws. The invention is particularly useful in connection with furniture made from MDF or particle board due to the elimination of the need for employing wood screws. This allows use of thinner MDF or particle board. The apparatus is characterized by the fact that installation can be quickly and readily effected. Furthermore, a strong interconnection is established between the furniture structure and the drawer guide assembly, resisting structural failure resulting from application of external forces to the assembly.
The invention is directed to a combination including furniture structure having spaced, opposed structure surfaces, the furniture structure defining an opening, a recess communicating with the opening and located between the structure surfaces and a slot extending into the furniture structure from one of the structure surfaces. The slot communicates with the recess, extends therealong and has a vertical dimension less than the vertical dimension of the recess.
A drawer guide assembly extends along the furniture structure adjacent to one of the structure surfaces and includes a mounting bracket positioned over the slot. The mounting bracket defines an aperture.
Fastener means fastens the mounting bracket to the furniture structure. The fastener means comprises a threaded member extending through the aperture of the mounting bracket and into the slot and a fastener member disposed in the recess and threadedly engaged with the threaded member. A portion of the furniture structure adjoining the slot is clampingly engaged between the mounting bracket and the fastener member.
The fastener member includes a fastener plate bearing against the portion of the furniture structure and a threaded boss projecting from the fastener plate into the slot.
Other features, advantages, and objects of the present invention will become apparent with reference to the following description and accompanying drawings.